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Another 297 OHSU jobs will be affected by a second round of layoffs, which include nurses.
The job cuts were announced in a WARN Act Notification filed with the state of Oregon on Monday.
The latest round of layoffs comes after OHSU announced 140 job cuts. And there are expected to be further cuts. The OHSU board passed a $5.5 billion budget on Friday that includes the elimination of more than 500 positions, or 2.4% of the workforce.
The WARN notice does not indicate which positions are being eliminated, other than to say that some are represented by Oregon Nurses Association and others by AFSCME Local 328. An ONA representative said this round appears to affect 22 nurses primarily from OHSU's Connected Care Center, which allows patients to access expert help from home.
"They provide free health advice and keep patients’ care on track by assisting them with scheduling, visit preparation, intake, triage and answering the nagging questions that inevitably come up before and after visits, guiding patients through a complicated health care system and giving them much-needed peace of mind," Duncan Zevetski, an RN and ONA Vice President at OHSU, said in a written statement.
Members of both unions turned out in force at Friday’s board meeting to protest the cuts.
Board Chair Wayne Monfries and OHSU President Dr. Danny Jacobs addressed the protesters, saying the layoffs were a last resort in response to financial pressures. The FY 2025 budget will have a $25 million deficit, even with cuts to jobs and benefits.
OHSU spokeswoman Sara Hottman noted in an email that most of the cuts are administrative, and at the same time, more than 500 patient-facing jobs are being added.
"The strategic alignment work aims to shift OHSU’s overall strategy to its core, state-mandated missions, including improving access to the complex specialty and subspecialty services that no other health system in the region can provide," Hottman said. "As a result, while planned reductions in force are largely administrative roles, other programs may be impacted as well."
The cuts come as OHSU is moving forward with plans to acquire Legacy Health, a Portland-based seven-hospital system. OHSU is financing that transaction, which still needs state approval, with 30-year bonds.
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